The present invention relates generally to trail cameras and, more specifically, to trail cameras having infrared flash illumination for taking a picture or video.
Trail cameras (commonly called “trail cams”) are used to take pictures or videos of certain subjects, such as wildlife. Trail cams often include a light source for illuminating the subject when capturing images in low-light conditions. Such light sources can include visible light or infrared light. Infrared light is often preferred when it is desired not to create a visible flash (e.g., in order to avoid startling the subject).
Infrared lighting for cameras is typically specified at 850 nm, which produces light in a range of wavelengths surrounding 850 nm. At this specification, a small amount of visible light can often be seen in the form of a red glow. Infrared lighting with a specification of 950 nm is designed to significantly reduce or eliminate the visible red glow. However, at that longer wavelength, the camera is less efficient, and thus the quality of the image suffers.